Ernest h



E. H. JACOBS. ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FlLED 1ULY30| 1917.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921 Inventor. Ernest H. Jacobs,

bk i I Hi5 fflt tovneg "(UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

ERNEST H. J'ACOIB S, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOI$, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL ELECTRICGOM- PANY, A CORPORATION 01* NEW YORK.

ELECTRIC S'WITCH.

To all whom it may concern:

' Be it known that I, ERNEST H. JACOBS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at a which only two insulatingmembers or bushings are required to support the contacts for the switch.

It is the usual practice in switches of the four break type comprisingtwo pair or four fixed contacts with cooperating movable contacts, toprovide a separate bushing or support for carrying each fixed contactthus requiringfour bushin s or supports extending into the oil vessel.uch switches'are thereforecostly, dueto the number of bushings vand tothe larger oil vessels required and such switches also require a greateramount of space than switches of the usual type.

In the switch embodying the features of "my invention only two bushingsor insulating members are required, each bushing terarated by aninsulating barrier.

min'ating at its lower end in a special in 'sulating member or contactsupport upon which is mounted two fixed contacts sep- Cooperau ingmovable contacts adapted to engage similar fixed contacts are mounted inclose proximity to each other and movable as a unit by any suitableactuating mechanism.

The novel features which I believe to be I characteristic of myinvention will be indicated in theclaims appended hereto, while thefeatures of construction and mode of operation willbe understoodbyreference to the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, in which y I Figure 1 is a front elevationshowing an electric switch embodying the features of invention, Fig. 2is a bottom view of the bushings or contact supporting members for theswitch showing the arrangement of the contact members, and Fig. 3 is anend elevationof the contact carrying portion of one bushing with thecontacts in switch opening position.

In Fig. lis shown a switch comprising an Specification of LettersPatent. Patented Feb, 15, 1921,

Application filed July 30, 1917. Serial No. 183,435.

oil vessel 1, having a cover portion 2 upon wh ch is mounted twobushings 3 and 4 whlch carry the terminal members 5 and 6 respectively,for the switch. The bushings fixed contacts 13, 14 and similarly mountedon the opposite sides of barrier 12 are contacts 15 and 16, as bestshown in Fig. 2. Barriers l1 and 12 extend considerably below the end oftheir corresponding fixed contacts. a Cooperating with each pair ofsimilarly mounted fixed contacts 13, 15 and 14, 16 are longitudinallymovable contact or bridging members 17 and 18 respectively carried onoperating rods 19 and 20 respectively which are in turn controlled byany suitable mechanism to move the contact members 17 and 18 into andout of engagement with their respective fixed contacts. In Fig. 2 forpurposes of clearness l. have shown the movable contacts 17 and 18 witha portion broken away.

As the contacts 13 and 14, and similarly contacts 15 and 16'are onlyseparated by a comparatively small space, occupied by the barriers 11and 12 respectively, asbest shown in Fig. 3, the movable contacts 17 and18 are mounted in close proximity and the complete contact structure forthe switch requres therefore a minimum amount of space and can beoperated in an oil vessel of the size ordinarily used for two breakswitches.

In order to provide a switch having four breaks in series as the switchopens, one of contacts 13 or 14 for instance, contact 14 is in directelectrical connection through the usual conducting member carried by thebushing 3, with terminal member 5. A conductor 21 connects the othercontact 13 permanently with the contact 16 carried by portion 10 ofsupporting means 8 as best shown respectively, extending in Fig. 2 andcontact 15 is connected similarly to contact 14:, to terminal member 6carried by bushing 4E.

The operation of my switch is evident from the foregoing description.When the switch is closed, the circuit through the switch is -fromterminal member 5 to contact 14, through movable contact 18 to fixedcontact 16 thence by conductor 21 to fixed contact 13 and throughmovable contact 17 to fixed contact 15 and thence to the other terminal6 for the switch. As the switch opens, movable contacts 17 and 18 breakengagement with their fixed contacts 13, 15 and 14, 16, respectively,moving downwardly on each side of barriers 11 and 12. A break occursbetween each fixed contact and its movable cooperating contact causingfour breaks to occur in series. Due to the fact, however, that thebarriers 11 and 12 extend a sufficient distance beyond their contacts,the arcs formed at the four breaking points occur on opposite sides ofthe insualting barriers and are separated thereby so that there is nodanger of arcing taking place between contact members 13, 14: andbetween members 15 and 16.

I have thus provided a switch of the four break type which is simple,compact, requires little space and in which only two bushings orsupports are required for the contact members thus enabling the use of afour break switch with no material increase in cost and with no increasein space required for the installation 01 the same.

IVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. In an. electric switch, the combination with two insulating terminalmembers, contact supporting means carried at one end of each of saidmembers, two pairs of fixed contacts, one pair of said contacts mountedon each of said supporting means and insu-.

lated from each other, and means for connecting the four contacts toform a ser1es circuit.

2. An electric switch comprising two insulating members, contactsupporting means carried by said members having a top portion and adownwardly extending portion, contacts mounted on each top portion onopposite sides of said downwardly exending portion, terminals 'for saidswitch to which one fixed contact on each supporting means is connected,a conductor permanently connecting the other fixed contact of eachsupporting means, and movable contact members adapted to cooperate withsaid contacts to control the current through the switch.

3. An electric switch comprising two insulated terminal members, contactsupporting means carried at one end of said members, fixed contactscarried by said supporting members connected to said terminal members,another fixed contact carried by each of said supporting membersadjacent said first mentioned contacts, a permanent conductor betweensaid other fixed contacts, and movable contact members cooperating withsaid fixed contacts to form four breaks in series as the switch opens.

1. In an electric switch, the combination with two insulating members,switch terminals carried thereby, a fixed contact in direct connectionwith each of said terminals, a second fixed contact adjacent each ofsaid first mentioned contacts, contact supporting means for saidadjacent contacts carried by said insulating members including a barrierportion extending between and below said adjacent contacts, and bridgingmembers cooperating with those contacts on the same side of said barrierportion.

0. In an electric switch, the combination ."Fl'cli a vessel adapted tocontain oil, two insulating members Within said vessel, contactsupporting means carried by said insulating members, including a topportion and a downwardly extending central portion integrally relatedthereto, fixed contacts carried by each top portion and separated bysaid central portion, and bridging members cooperating with thosecontacts on the same side of said barrier portion.

6. An electric switch comprising a vessel adapted to contain oil, twoinsulating members within said vessel, contact supporting means carriedby said members, two fixed contacts mounted on each of said supports,insulating barriers extending downwardly between the fixed contacts oneach support, 119111111121l members for the switch connected to one ofsaid fixed contacts carried by each of said supports, a permanentconnection between the other of said contacts, and movable membersadapted to engage said fixed contacts to control the current through theswitch.

7. An electric switch comprising two insulated terminal members, contactsupporting means carried by said members, a pair of fixed contactscarried by each supporting means, a permanent connection between one ofeach pair of fixed contacts, and bridging members adapted to engage thesimilarly located contacts of each pair.

8. In an electric switch, the combination with two insulated terminalmembers, contact supporting means carried by said members, two fixedcontacts carried by each of said supporting members, an insulatingbarrier carried by each contact supporting means and extending betweenthe two fixed contacts, two cooperating movable contacts adapted tobridge the fixed contacts on similar sides of said barriers, and apermanent connection between one of each pair of said fixed contacts.

9. An electric switch comprising two insulated terminal members, contactsupporting means carried at one end of said memcontacts of each pair,and movable bridging bers, two fixed contacts carried side by sidemembers cooperating with similarly located on each of said supportingmeans, a permacontacts of each pair to connect all said con- 10 nentconnection between one of each pair tacts in series.

of fixed contacts the other contacts of each In Witness whereof I havehereunto set pair being connected to said terminal memmy hand this 26thda of Jul 1917.

bers, barrier members extending between the ER EST JACOBS.

